St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-01-20
LOCAL AND TOWN NEWS.
DIzAN ACQUITTED.
Re-Arrested ON Another Charge.


Re-Arrested ON Another Charge.
w. E. Dian, charged with the muir
der of three of his infant children,
whose hearing before Justice Sargent
was continued until Thursday evening,
was acquitted Friday morning. He
was re-arrested Immediately on
charge of adultery, and was put under
$500 bonds to appear before Justice
Worcester, Jan. "a, when the hearing
on this last charge will be held.
The hearing on the murder charge
was not completed until nearly noon,
Friday. and some of the testimony was
very important.
Holmes Wiley was the first witness
called. Was acquainted with Dian
heard him say that he did not mean to
] aise children Dizan claimed at times
to be married to the woman with
whom he lived and at other times that
he was not; told witness that Mrs.
Dian, so-called, had a husband, a Mr..
Wilder, living; Dian feared compli-
cations and disappeared with the wo-
man while the grand jury was in ses-
sion.
j. HI. Dening confirmed Willey's
testimony and also testimony of other
witnesses in regard to the child Dora.
DR.. G.. B. Billiard and DR.. H. S.
Brown testified as to the appearance
of the child's skull, and the indications
of the symptoms described by Mrs.
Bedell. The remains of the child had
been exhumed and the skull examined
by both physicians and it was prOduc-
ed in court. Witnesses testified that
the skull was that of well-developed
child every thing was perfectly nor
NAL with exception of several holes
which were found in the left parietal
bone and left frontal bone and some
discoloration, probably blood stains
these holes, in the opinion of witnesses,
were caused by some sharp pointed
instrument. Both witnesses heard
Mrs. Bedell's testimony. Assuming it
to be correct it was their opinion that
the child was perfectly well up to the
time of making the sharp out cry
which woke Mrs. Bedell; did not know
of any disease, which in it's natural
course would produce similar phenom-
ena to those described by Mrs. Be-
dell; such symptoms might be caused
by anything that would produce a
compression of the brain; dropsy of
the brain would be slower in it's de-
velOpment in order to produce any
such symptoms; in the opinion of wit
nesses symptoms were produced by
the puncture of some sharp instru-
ment through the skull, which ruptur-
ed some blood vessel of the brain. DR..
Brown thought the symptoms were
Enthusiastically those of cerebral men
nights, or an inflammation of the
membrane covering the brain. There
were in the skull two well-defined
holes that might have been made by
an awl, darning needle or shawl pin.
The testimony of the doctors closed
the case. Arguments were made by
Attorney Dunnett and A. F. Nichols
for the state and Bates & May for the
Justice Sargent announced his de-
cisiOn very briefly. 1t isn't usual, he
said, in cases of preliminary examina-
tons for the trial justice to deliver all
opinion, but this is case of great i'm
portance. Judge Bennett rules that in
cases where no reasonable grounds ex-
lists that respondent is guilty or that
crime has been committed he should
be discharged. l do not think in this
case that it has been established that
is guilty or that murder
was committed and he is discharged.
The verdict was a great surprise to all
who have kept any track of the case.
The charge on which Dian was re-
arrested was that of adultery with the
woman with whom he has been living
as his wife.